Door-check.



H. BALL;

DOOR GHEOK.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2Q, 1913.

1,133,453. Patented Mar. 30, 1915.-

1415265365 v f y 27 flfi y THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTO-LITHO" WASHINGTON. D C,

HARRY BALL, OF WORCESTER, MASSACTIUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO VTGRSESTER MANU- MASSACHUSETTS.

Application filed August 20, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY BALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of l/Voroester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Door- Check, of which the following, together with the accompanying drawing, is a specificatlon.

My invention relates to door checks and more particularly to an improved form of door check adapted for use upon a door equipped with an automatic unlatching device, such as the electric door openers in common use for unlatching the outer doors of apartment houses and other places where it is desired to release the looking mechanism of a door from a distance.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved form of door check so constructed that it will cause the door to close completely and, at the same time, will not interfere with a slight opening movement of the door when the automatic releasing mechanism has been actuated so that the door can not become looked after the actuation of the releasing mechanism has ceased.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a door check constructed in accordance with my invention and applied to a door equipped with one form of automatic lock releasing mecha nism; and Fig. 2 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 1, but with the door slightly opened into the position which it assumes as soon as the releasing mechanism has been actuated.

Like reference characters refer to similar parts in the different figures.

In the form of invention shown in the drawing, the door check includes a hollow casing 1 supported in the usual position upon a door 2 by a base 3. A swinging arm 4: is detachably secured to the upper end of a vertical spindle 5 rotatably supported in bearings formed in the casing 1. The outer end of the arm a is connected to the door casing 6'by an adjustable connecting arm 7 pivoted at one end to the free end of the arm 4 and at its other end to the door casing. A spring 8 within the casing 1 tends to rotate the spindle 5 so as to tend to close the FACTURING COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSAGHUSETTS,

Specification of Letters Patent.

COREQEATEON OE DOOR-CHECK.

Patented Mar. 30 1915. Serial No. 785,626.

door. The door 2 is equipped with a suitable door opener or look releasing mechanism, a simple form being indicated in the drawing, so that the door may be unlocked from a distance.

If the force of the spring 8 were allowed to be transmitted to the door until the door were entirely closed, the door would be held in its closed position as shown in Fig. 1, even though the lock releasing mechanism were actuated. Then, unless the door were opened by some force sufficiently great to overcome that of the spring 8, it would again be looked as soon as actuation of the lock releasing mechanism ceased. In order to prevent this, the casing 1 is provided with a stop in the form of a screw 18 threaded into a supporting projection 19 on the cover of the casing and located'in the path of the arm 4, a check nut 20 being provided to hold the screw in any desired adjusted position. The screw 18 is adjusted in its support 19 so that, as the door closes, the arm 4: will strike the end of the screw or stop 18 slightly before the door is locked as shown in Fig. 2, that is, when the door is perhaps within oneeighth of an inch of being entirely closed. It is obvious, however, that the full force of the spring 8 is transmitted to the door up to the time that the arm strikes the stop 18 and the momentum of the door will be suiiicient to carry it through the remaining slight angle necessary to allow it to be locked. Throughout this slight angle, however, there is no external force acting to close the door. If the lock releasing mechanism be now actuated so as to release the door, the natural tendency of the door to open slightly will cause it to move through a slight angle, as shown in Fig. 2, suflicient to prevent its being locked again by the door releasing mechanism. It is seldom that a door is so perfectly constructed and fitted to its hinges and easing that it will not have a natural tendency to open slightly in this way. After the door has opened by itself through this slight angle, its further opening will be opposed by the spring 8 so that it will stop in this slightly opened but unlocked position until opened manually. The support or projection 19 is preferably located at the point upon the cover of the casing 1 which is farthest from the door. The arm 4 with its connecting arm 7 and the spring 8 may then be reversed for use with a door hinged at the opposite edge, the screw or stop 18 being reversed in its support 19 to cooperate there- I W ith.

While I have shown and described the'details of one form of my invention, I do not Wish to be limited to such details as changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention; but having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A door closer including a casing arranged for attachment to a door, a swinging arm carried by the casing, means for connecting the free end of the arm to a fixed support, means for swinging the arm to move toward closed position, and adjustable means for stopping the swinging of the arm before the door has been entirely closed, said adjustable means including a member having screwthreads to permit fine adjustments thereof.

2, A door closer including a casing arranged for attachment to a door, aswinging arm carried by the ,caslng, means for connecting the free end of the arm to a fixed support, means within the casing for swinging the arm to move the door toward closed position, and a screwthreaded adjustable stop in the path of the arm to arrest its motion before the door has been entirely closed.

3. A door closer including a casing, a swinging arm arranged to be pivotally supported by the casing to swing in either of two paths so as to close a door hinged at either side, means for swinging the arm, said means being reversible to permit it to swing the arm in either of itspaths, a fixed support between the adjacent extremes of V the two paths of the arm, and an adjustable stop on the support, the stop being reversible to limit the swing of the arm in either of its paths and being screwthreaded to permit fine adjustments of its position.

Dated this fifth day of August, 1913.

HARRY BALL. Witnesses PENELOPE COMBERBACH, NnLLIn WHALEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the lqomrnissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G,

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,133,et53, granted March 30,

1915, upon the application of Harry Ball, of Woscerter, Massachusetts, for an improvement in Door-Checks, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 16 after the word move insert the Words the door; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 20th day of April, D., 1915.

[SEAL] J. T. NEWTON,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

